Gravity, a Geometrical Course - Pietro Giuseppe Frè

Gravity, a Geometrical Course

Volume 1: Development of the Theory and Basic Physical Applications
Buch | Softcover
338 Seiten
2014
Springer (Verlag)
978-94-007-9544-0 (ISBN)
139,09 inkl. MwSt
This book presents general relativity as a cornerstone of modern theoretical physics. It covers both classical general relativity and supergravity and offers plenty of historical background on the physicists relevant to the theories presented.
‘Gravity, a Geometrical Course’ presents general relativity (GR) in a systematic and exhaustive way, covering three aspects that are homogenized into a single texture: i) the mathematical, geometrical foundations, exposed in a self consistent contemporary formalism, ii) the main physical, astrophysical and cosmological applications,  updated to the issues of contemporary research and observations, with glimpses on supergravity and superstring theory, iii) the historical development of scientific ideas underlying both the birth of general relativity and its subsequent evolution. The book, divided in two volumes, is a rich resource for graduate students and those who wish to gain a deep knowledge of the subject without an instructor.  

Volume One is dedicated to the development of the theory and basic physical applications. It guides the reader from the foundation of special relativity to Einstein field equations, illustrating some basic applications in astrophysics. A detailed  account  of the historical and conceptual development of the theory is combined with the presentation of its mathematical foundations.  Differentiable manifolds, fibre-bundles, differential forms, and the theory of connections are covered, with a sketchy introduction to homology and cohomology. (Pseudo)-Riemannian geometry is presented both in the metric and in the vielbein approach. Physical applications include the motions in a Schwarzschild field leading to the classical tests of GR (light-ray bending and periastron advance) discussion of relativistic stellar equilibrium, white dwarfs, Chandrasekhar mass limit and polytropes. An entire chapter is devoted to tests of GR and to the indirect evidence of gravitational wave emission. The formal structure of gravitational theory is at all stages compared with that of non gravitational gauge theories, as a preparation to its modern extension, namely supergravity, discussed in the second volume. 

Pietro Frè isProfessor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Torino, Italy and is currently serving as Scientific Counsellor of the Italian Embassy in Moscow. His scientific passion lies in supergravity and all allied topics, since the inception of the field, in 1976. He was professor at SISSA, worked in the USA and at CERN. He has taught General Relativity for 15 years. He has previously two scientific monographs, “Supergravity and Superstrings” and “The N=2 Wonderland”, He is also the author of a popular science book on cosmology and two novels, in Italian.

Pietro Frè is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Torino, Italy and is currently serving as Scientific Counsellor of the Italian Embassy in Moscow. His scientific passion lies in supergravity and all allied topics, since the inception of the field, in 1976. He was professor at SISSA, worked in the USA and at CERN. He has taught General Relativity for 15 years. He has previously published two scientific monographs, “Supergravity and Superstrings” and “The N=2 Wonderland”. He is also the author of a popular science book on cosmology (“Il fascino oscuro dell’inflazione”, Springer 2009), and two novels, in Italian.

Acknowledgement.- Preface.- Special Relativity: setting the stage.- Manifolds and fibre bundles.- Connections and Metrics.- Motion in the Schwarzschild Field.- Einstein versus Yang Mills Field Equations.- Stellar Equilibrium.- Gravitational Waves and the Binary Pulsars.- Conclusion of volume 1.- Appendix A: Spinors and Gamma Matrix Algebra.- Appendix B: Mathematica Packages.- Index.

Erscheint lt. Verlag 9.11.2014
Zusatzinfo XVIII, 338 p.
Verlagsort Dordrecht
Sprache englisch
Maße 155 x 235 mm
Themenwelt Naturwissenschaften Geowissenschaften Geophysik
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Astronomie / Astrophysik
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Hochenergiephysik / Teilchenphysik
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Quantenphysik
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Relativitätstheorie
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Theoretische Physik
Naturwissenschaften Physik / Astronomie Thermodynamik
Schlagworte Black Holes • Cosmological and Astrophysical Applications of GR • Gauge Theory • gravitational waves • Mathematical and Geometrical Foundations of General relativity • Supergravity and Supestring Theory • Textbook on General Relativity
ISBN-10 94-007-9544-0 / 9400795440
ISBN-13 978-94-007-9544-0 / 9789400795440
Zustand Neuware
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